Cultural geography: sport, festivals and custom
A lot of what looks like arbitrary national character turns out to be geography wearing a hat: a sport that suits the terrain, a festival timed to a harvest, a custom built around a season that only happens there.
How many Summer Olympics have been held in the southern hemisphere?
Three
Melbourne 1956, Sydney 2000 and Rio 2016. Melbourne's was held in November and December to fall in the local summer, splitting the equestrian events off to Stockholm.
Source: International Olympic Committee records
Test cricket is played by roughly how many national teams?
About a dozen
Twelve nations hold Test status. The map of Test cricket is almost exactly the map of the former British Empire, with Ireland and Afghanistan the most recent additions.
Source: International Cricket Council membership
Which country has hosted the football World Cup the most times?
None more than twice
No country has hosted more than twice, and Mexico will become the first to host a third time in 2026, sharing it with the United States and Canada.
Source: FIFA tournament records
Why does Australia compete in the Eurovision Song Contest?
It was invited
Eurovision membership follows the European Broadcasting Area, which reaches into North Africa and West Asia. Australia was invited in 2015 for the 60th contest because of long-standing viewership.
Source: European Broadcasting Union
Which country's national sport involves teams trying to carry a headless goat carcass to a goal?
Afghanistan, with buzkashi
Buzkashi is played on horseback across Central Asia and is Afghanistan's national sport. Matches can involve hundreds of riders and last for days.
Source: Afghan Olympic Committee; ethnographic accounts
Which country has the most UNESCO World Heritage sites?
Italy
Italy has around 60, narrowly ahead of China. The list is partly a measure of how actively a country nominates sites, not only of what it has.
Source: UNESCO World Heritage List
What year is it in Ethiopia's calendar relative to the Gregorian one?
Seven years behind
The Ethiopian calendar has thirteen months and dates the Annunciation differently, putting it about seven or eight years behind. Ethiopia celebrated the millennium in 2007.
Source: Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church calendar
Nepal's official calendar puts the current year at roughly what?
About 57 years ahead
The Bikram Sambat calendar runs about 56 to 57 years ahead, so Gregorian 2026 falls in 2082-83. Nepal is one of the few countries using it officially.
Source: Government of Nepal official calendar
Some US states allow driving at what age, among the lowest in the world?
Fourteen
A few states permit restricted learner permits from 14, largely a legacy of rural farming needs. Most of Europe requires 17 or 18.
Source: US state licensing statutes
Which country has among the most public holidays in the world?
Nepal
Nepal recognises a large number of festivals across several religious traditions, with counts frequently cited above 30 days a year, among the highest anywhere.
Source: Government of Nepal holiday schedules